Aston Villa Faces PSG in UEFA Super Cup Without Key Players

Aston Villa will walk out for the UEFA Super Cup without the man who usually owns their biggest nights.

Emiliano Martinez, fresh from the emotional high and crushing low of another World Cup final with Argentina, has been left out of Unai Emery’s squad to face Paris Saint-Germain at the Red Bull Arena in Salzburg on Wednesday evening.

The call is deliberate, not forced. Emery has chosen to rest his World Cup trio, keeping Martinez, Ezri Konsa and Ollie Watkins away from the spotlight a little longer after a draining summer on international duty.

Martinez went all the way to the 2026 World Cup final with Argentina, only to lose 1-0 to Spain after extra time on 19 July in New Jersey. Konsa and Watkins, meanwhile, helped England finish third, edging a wild 6-4 third-place play-off against France on 18 July in Miami.

Emery spelt out his reasoning to French outlet RMC, explaining that he handed the three players four weeks off and stressing that the break “was really necessary.” After a month of high-stakes football, jet lag, and emotional whiplash, he has decided not to rush them back for a glamour tie, even one with a European trophy on the line.

Their absence opens the door for a very different Villa look against PSG.

In goal, 35-year-old Dutch keeper Marco Bizot is expected to step in for Martinez. Usually the man in the shadows, he now gets the job of facing one of Europe’s most explosive attacks on a neutral stage, with a Super Cup on offer and Villa testing their depth before the Premier League campaign begins.

Reports in Argentina indicate that Martinez will return to club duty soon and should be ready for Villa’s Premier League opener against Brighton on 23 August. Before that, Emery’s side have one final tune-up: a friendly against Borussia Monchengladbach next Saturday.

For now, though, Villa head into a European showdown without Martinez, Konsa and Watkins. It is a bold bet on rest over rhythm. In a season that will be defined by fine margins, Emery has made his choice early.